The principal aim of this animal resource development project is to create a new Animal Resource Facility (ARF) in the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM) research building on the Health Sciences campus of the University of Southern California. The CMM is a 154,000 gross square foot building currently being remodeled to house the cell and molecular biology biomedical research and training programs of approximately 36 faculty members. The planned CMM-ARF will encompass about 18000 net assignable square feet of animal space in a secured, environmentally controlled facility and will cost approximately $3,780,000. This proposal requests funds for 7692 square feet of the Animal Resource Facility to provide 22 rooms, a cage washer, 2 sterilizers and assorted other fixed equipment. Benefits: in addition to providing animal resource facilities for the faculty in the CMM, construction of this facility will help correct existing deficiencies n the current health science animal facilities. First, development of the ARF will allow the continued consolidation of animal resources from a number of dispersed locations on the campus to this remodeled central facility. Second, the new facilities will provide much needed animal isolation capabilities for programs engaged in study of infectious organisms such as HIV and Hepatitis B. This total funds requested in this proposal have been matched and exceeded by commitments from the USC School of Medicine for the development of this shared resource. Programmatic plans for the CMM anticipate a major emphasis on small animal usage by the Center's two major interdisciplinary biomedical research programs: the Program in Molecular Biology & Genetics and the Program in Medical Neurobiology. Planned research programs in mammalian developmental genetics and genetic regulation will include significant application of transgenic models. Although the majority of faculty whose research programs will be housed in the Center will be new appointments, a number of existing programs will also make use of the planned CMM-ARF. Thus the CMM- ARF will allow consolidation in one facility of the animal needs of existing and future programs with its attendant economies of scale and efficiencies in location and sharing of highly trained technical staffs.